New staff members at the South Carolina Philharmonic, from left: Reed Hanna, Amy Johnson, Rebecca Faith Warthen, and Naiesha Wise.
The South Carolina Philharmonic, based in Columbia, has announced the appointment of four members to its administrative staff.
Development Associate Rebecca Faith Warthen is a native Columbia, South Carolina, and a graduate of the College of Charleston. She previously worked in the Caribbean developing programming for the Dominica Institute for the Arts. She has served in the United States Peace Corps both in Dominica and in Thailand, where she was co-creative director of the Thai Youth Theater Project. Warthen studied violin as a child, has performed with regional professional ballet companies, and worked as a dance instructor and personal trainer.
Interim Youth Orchestra Music Director and Symphonic Orchestra Conductor Reed Hanna is also a bassoonist and composer. As an orchestral musician, he plays principal bassoon in the Augusta (GA) Symphony, a position he has held since 2016. He has also appeared with the South Carolina Philharmonic, the Greenville (SC) Symphony, the Savannah Philharmonic, the North Charleston Pops! and other orchestras in the southeast. Hanna is assistant professor of music and director of instrumental activities at Coker University in Hartsville, S.C., where he conducts the concert and pep bands and teaches music theory, music education, and woodwind lessons.
Concert Orchestra Conductor Naiesha Wise is also the director of orchestras at Fairfield Central High School in Winnsboro, SC. She earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree with a concentration in K-12 instrumental music at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., where she performed with the WU Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble, and Cello Choir. Wise has served as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the Midlands area, and is a member of the South Carolina Music Educators Association and the National Association for Music Education. In her spare time, she plays cello in community orchestras.
A violinist originally from Utah, South Carolina Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Manager Amy Johnson recently completed a master’s degree in Violin Pedagogy at the University of South Carolina. She maintains a private studio at the Suzuki Academy in West Columbia. In addition to teaching, Johnson regularly plays in the area as a freelance violinist with ensembles including the South Carolina Philharmonic.
